ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Ministry of Cooperation
Utility of PACS
PACS constitute the lowest tier of the short-term cooperative credit structure in the country at panchayat/ village level. They serve as a crucial link in sustaining the rural economy of the country by providing short-term and medium-term credit and other input facilities such as fertilizers, pesticides, seeds, etc. to farmers. There are nearly 95,000 PACS in the country, with a member base of around 13 crores. These are refinanced by NABARD through 351 District Central Cooperative Banks  and 34 State Cooperative Banks . The StCBs and DCCBs together provide nearly ₹ 5 lakh crore rural credit annually, out of which ₹ 1.3 lakh crore is refinanced by NABARD.
In order to improve transparency, increase efficiency, ensure speedy disbursal of loans, have seamless accounting with DCCBs and StCBs and reduce imbalances in payments, a project for Computerization of 63,000 functional PACS in three years with a total financial outlay of ₹ 2,516 Crore has been approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs vide its decision dated 29th June, 2022. This project entails bringing all the functional PACS onto an ERP  based common software, linking them with NABARD through StCBs and DCCBs. Implementation of Common Accounting System  and Management Information System  would enable PACS to carry out their operations online and obtain refinance/ loans from NABARD through DCCBs and StCBs. Presently, the economic activities undertaken by PACS are restricted by their respective byelaws, which in most cases, have become outdated and need to be revised. In order to strengthen the PACS and diversify their business activities to make them vibrant economic entities at Panchayat level, model byelaws of PACS have been prepared by the Ministry after consultation with all the States/ Union Territories, Ministries/ Departments concerned in Government of India, NABARD, NAFSCOB, State Cooperative Banks, District Cooperative Banks, etc. These Model byelaws of PACS will enable them to undertake more than 25 business activities which, inter alia, include dairy, fishery, floriculture, setting up of godowns, procurement of foodgrains, fertilizers, seeds, LPG/CNG/Petrol/Diesel distributorship, short-term & long-term credit, custom hiring centers, common service centers, Fair Price Shops , community irrigation, Business Correspondent activities, Common Service Centre, etc.
This was stated by the Minister of Cooperation, Shri Amit Shah in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha today.
President's Secretariat
President’s message on the eve of martyrdom day of Guru Tegh Bahadur
The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind in his message on the eve of the martyrdom day of Guru Tegh Bahadur has said, “On the occasion of the observance of the Shaheedi Divas of Guru Tegh Bahadur, let us recall and commemorate his supreme sacrifice for the cause of human dignity, liberty and freedom of worship.
The teachings and the martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur convey a message of everlasting significance and represent universal and unalienable values that are the right of every human being.
On this solemn day, let us dedicate ourselves to the principles that Guru Tegh Bahadur stood for and gave his life for.”
Ministry of Agriculture &
Farmers Welfare
Nafed makes an impressive turnaround owing to Government’s strong policy and able leadership in the last 4 years
Nafed makes record procurement of 31.91 lakh metric tonnes of pulses and oilseeds in 2017-18 benefiting over 20 lakh farmers
The National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd. , which procures pulses, oilseeds and onion from farmers, procured 31.91 lakh metric tonnes of pulses and oilseeds in 2017-18 thereby benefitting over 20 lakh farmers. Money was directly transferred to farmers’ accounts. NAFED registered record numbers on other financial parameters and in 2018-19, it is expected to earn record profit.
It is worth mentioning that Nafed was financially drained during the previous government. Irregularities had pushed it into a financial crisis and the institution was on the verge of closure with lawsuits piling up. The federation had procured only 8 lakh metric tonnes of pulses and oilseeds from farmers in the last four years  of the UPA government. Owing to the efficient leadership of the NDA government, 64 lakh metric tonnes of pulses and oilseeds were procured at Minimum Support Price  from farmers in 2014-18, thereby showing a remarkable increase.
It was imperative for the government to save Nafed and ensure procurement at MSP in order to help farmers. On the advice of Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the bank guarantee of Nafed was increased to Rs 42,000 crore with immediate effect. The bank guarantee during the UPA government was only Rs 200-250 crore.
The result of the reforms has been very positive. In the three crop seasons in the middle of 2011-13, Nafed could not procure anything but is now making record purchases. For this, the government did away with 15 per cent compensation in the MSP norm, which existed in previous government on account of complete loss. With the availability of bank guarantee to Nafed, it was possible to make record purchase from farmers. Reflecting the results of financial discipline and improvement, NAFED paid Rs 220 crore to the banks from its earnings.
Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Shri Radha Mohan Singh expressed hope that Nafed will continue to make record purchase from farmers and said that the government is committed to improving the condition and working of Nafed.
Ministry of Tourism
Union Minister Shripad Naik presents Goa Star Award 2022
Goa | September 10, 2022
Union Minister of State for Ports, Shipping and Waterways and Tourism Shri. Shripad Naik along with Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant today presented Goa Star Award 2022 . Shri Ramesh Tawadkar, Speaker, Goa Legislative Assembly was also present on the occasion.
Addressing the gathering, Shripad Naik congratulated all the winners. He said that awards are a kind of recognition of one's contribution to society and inspiration for others to do good. The progress of every strata of society means Nation’s progress, added Shri Naik.
“Government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is striving for the development of the last segment of the society. Various welfare schemes are being implemented for the welfare of marginalised sections including financial inclusion”, Said Union Minister Shripad Naik.
Chief Minister Dr. Pramod Sawant assured all kinds of support from the Government for the welfare of Scheduled Caste.
Souvenir of upcoming activities of ‘Scheduled Caste Welfare Association and Rebuild India Trust-Goa’ was released on this occasion.
Goa Star Award 2022  is organised by Rebuild India Trust and Scheduled Castes Welfare Association of Goa. Goa Star Award is an initiative to honor individuals from SC Community for notable achievements and contributions in their field of expertise. Awards were presented for exemplary work in the field of Engineering, Education, Social Service, Art and Culture and Sports.
Ministry of Science & Technology
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, India sign MoU to promote health research
Thecollaboration will focus on developing and testing new preventions, therapies and interventions that can help to solve major health concerns that affect India and other developing countries
“The MoU will help accelerate the R&D and implementation of innovations in the coming years that are not only relevant to India but to the world’:Dr Shekhar C Mande, DG-CSIR
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Council of Scientific and Industrial Research , Indiahave signed a Memorandum of Understanding  to support the development, conduct and promotion of health research in India. Gates Foundation and CSIRwill worktogether to identify opportunities to initiate scientific and technological collaborations. These will focus on developing and testing new preventions, therapies and interventions that can help to solve major health concerns that affect India and other developing countries.
As per the MoU, areas of research collaboration would include genetic diseases that impact infant and neonatal mortality; new diagnostics and devices for infectious disease and environmental surveillance; development of cost-effective processes for drug, vaccines, biologics, and diagnostics manufacturing; novel microbiome-directed foods; socio-economic impact of science and technological tools; and other areas of health and development.
The MoU was signed by Hari Menon, Director, India Country Office on behalf of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Dr G N Dayananda, Head, Technology Management Directorate – Industry Interface, CSIR.
Talking about the importance of this collaboration, Hari Menon stated, “Under this MOU, we look forward to collaborating with CSIR on many important themes linked to India’s health and development priorities. We are excited about the innovation potential of CSIR's wide network and the promise of our partnership to develop innovative tools and solutions for public health challenges in India and globally.”
On the occasion of the signing of the MoU,DG-CSIR, DrShekhar C Mande,commented, “The opportunityto work closely with Gates Foundation on broad spectrum of activities in health and development, will accelerate theR&D and implementation of innovations in the coming yearsthat are not only relevant to India but to the world’.
Council of Scientific & Industrial Research  is India’s premier S&T organization comprising 37 research laboratories focused on diverse scientific and industrial research areas. CSIR’s research covers a wide spectrum of science and technology – from aerospace, oceanography, geophysics, chemicals, drugs, genomics, biotechnology and nanotechnology to mining, aeronautics, instrumentation, environmental engineering and information technology and provides significanttechnological intervention in many areas with
regard to societal efforts which include environment, health, drinking water, food, housing, energy and agricultural sectors.
Ministry of Finance
Cabinet approves release of an additional instalment of Dearness Allowance to Central Government employees and Dearness Relief to Pensioners, due from 01.01.2022
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, has given its approval to release an additional instalment of Dearness Allowance  to Central Government employees and Dearness Relief  to pensioners w.e.f. 01.01.2022 representing an increase of 3% over the existing rate of 31% of the Basic Pay/Pension, to compensate for price rise.
This increase is in accordance with the accepted formula, which is based on the recommendations of the 7th Central Pay Commission.
The combined impact on the exchequer on account of both Dearness Allowance and Dearness Relief would be Rs.9,544.50 crore per annum. This will benefit about 47.68 lakh Central Government employees and 68.62 lakh pensioners.
Competition Commission of India
CCI issues cease and desist order against firms found guilty of bid rigging and cartelization in tender floated by Eastern Railway
The Competition Commission of India  issued a final order today against eight firms which were found to have contravened the provisions of Sections 3 and 3 of the Competition Act, 2002  read with Section 3, which proscribe anti-competitive agreements. The case was initiated on the basis of a reference filed on behalf of the Eastern Railway.
CCI found these firms to have indulged in cartelization in the supply of Axle Bearings to Eastern Railway by means of directly or indirectly determining prices, allocating tenders, coordinating bid prices and manipulating the bidding process. The evidence in the matter included e-mails, call detail records and the statements of the representatives of the firms. The e-mails exchanged showed that the firms discussed quantity allocation with respect to the tenders of Indian Railways for the procurement of Axle Bearings amongst themselves. The vendors were also found to have discussed the compensation mechanism in the event that some of them did not win the agreed quantities. Of the eight  entities, two  were lesser penalty applicants before the CCI. Under Section 46 of the Act, a cartel member may approach the Commission by way of filing an application seeking lesser penalty, in return for providing full, true and vital disclosures in respect of the alleged cartel to the Commission.
In this backdrop, CCI found eight firms guilty of bid rigging and cartelization in tender floated by Eastern Railway during the years 2015 to 2019. However, CCI refrained from imposing any monetary penalty considering the firms were MSMEs with limited staff and turnover, the cooperative and non-adversarial approach adopted by firms in acknowledging their involvement as well as the economic stress wrought upon the MSME sector in the wake of COVID-19. Furthermore, the Commission found that the OPs stopped their cartel conduct immediately after the investigation began in the earlier matter . Thus, the Commission considered the aforesaid fact as the mitigating factors for not imposing any monetary penalty and issued a cease and desist order against the firms.
The order was passed in Ref. C. No. 02 of 2020 and a copy of the order is available at CCI website at www.cci.gov.in.
Ministry of Coal
Total Coal Production in April, 2022 Touches 661.54 Lakh Ton
Total Offtake At 708.68 Lakh Ton & To Power Sector Touches 617.2 Lakh Ton
During the month of April, 2022 India’s total coal production stood at 661.54 lakh tons. While Coal India Ltd  and its subsidiaries produced 534.7 lakh ton coal, production by Singareni Colleries Company Ltd  stood at 53.23 lakh ton and production from captive mines touched 73.61 lakh ton during last month.
As per the provisional statistic of the Ministry of Coal, while the total offtake of the coal sector was 708.68 lakh ton during the month, the power sector offtake touched the figure of 617.2 lakh ton in April. At the same time, offtake to the power sector from Coal India alone stood at 497.39 lakh ton.
Coal India has achieved the highest production of 534.7 lakh ton during April this year indicating 6.02 percent growth. The previous highest ever production was recorded during April, 2019 having attained a production of 450.29 Lakh Ton. Similarly, coal offtake touched the figure of 570.55 Lakh ton in April. The previous highest offtake of coal was recorded in April, 2021 with 540.12 lakh ton.
The total coal production during the financial year 2021-22 was 7770.23 lakh Ton  compared to 7160 lakh ton during 2020-21, recording a growth of 8.55 per cent. Coal India Ltd  production had gone up by 4.43 per cent from 5960.24 lakh ton in 2020-21 to 6220.64 lakh ton during the fiscal 2021-22.
Singareni Collieries Company Ltd  with an increase of 28.55 per cent growth produced 650.02 lakh ton during 2021-22 compared to 500.58 lakh ton the previous year. Coal production of captive mines has gone up to 890.57 lakh ton and during 2020-21 the same was only 690.18 lakh ton.
Total coal dispatch during 2021-22 touched the figure of 8180.04 lakh ton against the figure of 6900.71 lakh ton the previous year, an increase of 18.43 per cent. During the period, CIL dispatched 6610.85 lakh ton coal against 2020-21 figure of 5730.80 lakh ton.
Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers
NFL alongwith CCI organizes training programme for farmers in Rajasthan
75 Cotton Plucking Machines distributed free of cost to the farmers
National Fertilizers Limited  alongelwith CCI organized a one day farmer’s training programme In Agriculture Research Centre , Shri Ganganagar, Rajasthan yesterday.
A total number of 75 progressive farmers from Sriganganagar, Bikaner and Hanumangarh districts participated in the this programme. Agricultural Scientists educated the farmers regarding latest technical knowhow. This will help the farmers in reducing their cultivation expenses and earn a good income.
During the training scientists gave solutions to the different problems being faced by the cotton growing farmers. The officials from Cotton Corporation of India and National Fertilizers Limited encouraged the farmers to use latest machinery to increase production and to improve the quality of crop.
Zonal Manager – NFL – Shri Dilbag Singh and Chief General Manager of Cotton Corporation of India – Shri Neeraj Kumar Bhat gave a live demonstration on the picking of cotton by using cotton plucking machines. On this occasion, NFL also distributed 75 Cotton Plucking Machines free of cost to the participating farmers. Shri Bhat emphasized that the moisture in cotton crop should be kept to minimum in order to take good prices from the market.
Shri Dilbag Singh also encouraged the farmers to use the fertilizers in their crops based on soil test reports. He also stressed on the balances of different fertilizer in different crops grown by the farmers so that the expenditure on fertilizer may be curtailed and income of farmers may be increased
Plant breeder scientist Dr. Vijay Prakash gave information about the best varieties of cotton crop suitable as per the climate of Sri ganganagar and adjoining districts of Rajasthan . He emphasized to increase the income of farmers by selecting the best suited and high yielding varieties of cotton and adopting latest technology for its cultivation. Dr. Vijay stressed upon the proper crop management  to minimize the expenditure and maximize the profit.
To start with the Programme, Shri Dilbag Singh informed in detail about the different products of NFL viz. Fertilizers  Seeds, Agro Chemicals, City Compost, Bio Fertilizers and Bentonite Sulphur etc. He also briefed about the different CSR activities being undertaken by the Company.
NFL is a public sector undertaking under the ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers.
NB \RCJ/RKM
(Visitor Counter : 672
NITI Aayog
Cabinet apprised of the MoU between Atal Innovation Mission, India and Fund "Talent and Success", Russia for promotion of science & technology
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has been apprised of the Memorandum of Understanding  between Atal Innovation Mission, India and Fund "Talent and Success", Russia for promotion of science & technology, strong foundation to the collaborative work through exchange of students, teachers, researchers and scientists between both countries. The MoU was signed on October 5, 2018.
Benefits:
The MoU will facilitate promotion of science & technology, strong foundation to the collaborative work through exchange of students, teachers, researchers and scientists between India and Russia.
Major Impact:
The MOU will provide a mechanism in taking part in establishing relationships with-schools, universities, cultural institutions, science & technology and specialized education institutions, high-tech companies, startups and innovation centers in both countries. The activities are expected to promote creation of new scientific knowledge, generation of intellectual property, innovations and products development in both countries.
Background:
Prime Minister during his visit to Russia during 23-24th December, 2015 visited Sirius Educational Centre in Sochi wherein, it was proposed to invite the Russian students to India to work with Indian students. As a prelude to the recent visit of President of Russian Federation, Mr. Viadimir Putin in the first week of October 2018, ten Russian students visited India to work with ten Indian students from five Atal Tinkering Lab schools in an Innovation Boot Camp at IIT, Delhi during October 1-4, 2018. The students worked on innovative concepts for exploring development of new prototypes in five sectors; healthcare, space technology, clean technology, agri-technology and smart mobility. The prototypes developed were exhibited by the young student innovators before Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi and President of Russian Federation, Mr. Vladimir Putin and on 5th October, 2018.
Through this MoU, it is proposed to continue the collaborative work between Atal Innovation Mission , India and Fund "Talent and Success", Russia.
NITI Aayog
NITI Aayog organizing a G20 Conference on Green and Sustainable Growth Agenda for the Global Economy
An opportunity to shape consensus on supporting high-quality sustainable growth: Suman Bery, VC NITI Aayog
Deep-dive on major areas relating to sustainable growth with perspectives from all regions
Two-day event to take place in New Delhi on July 28-29, 2023
NITI Aayog, the Government of India’s institution for policy planning together with the International Development Research Centre , Ottawa, and the Global Development Network , New Delhi, is convening a two-day international policy workshop of around 40 leading thinkers to examine prospects and challenges for green and sustainable growth globally.
“The legitimacy of the G20 derives from its ability to shape a political consensus to support high quality growth”, noted Suman Bery, Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog. “International organizations  suggest that several developments will require different growth strategies in the coming decades. As organizers, we are proud that this workshop has been included as a side event under India’s G20 presidency. It has been timed to take place before the Leaders’ Summit in early September”, he observed.
The first day of the workshop will focus on themes related to energy, climate and growth; technology, policy and jobs; the growth implications of a fractured trading system and reshaping global finance for sustainable growth. The second day will address themes related to multilateralism as well as adjustment, resilience and inclusion in an uncertain world. Key takeaways from the workshop will be subsequently pursued by NITI Aayog and its partners in multiple fora.
The opening remarks at the policy workshop will be made by CEO, NITI Aayog Shri BVR Subrahmanyam, while the goals and process of the workshop will be elaborated upon by G20 India Sherpa, Shri Amitabh Kant and VC NITI Aayog, Shri Suman K. Bery.
For details : https://niti.gov.in/g-20-conference
Ministry of Coal
Day 3 of Commercial Coal Mine Auction
Four  coal mines  were put up for auction on Day 3 of Commercial Coal Mine Auction.The total geological reserves of the mines put up for auction are ~161 MT with a cumulative PRC of ~7 MTPA.
The e-auction witnessed strong competition amongst the bidders with allmines attracting good premiums over the floor price.
The results for Day 3 are as under:
|
|
S. No.
|
|
Name of the Mine
|
|
State
|
|
PRC 
|
|
Geological Reserves 
|
|
Closing Bid Submitted by
|
|
Floor Price 
|
|
Final Offer 
|
|
Annual Revenue Generated based on PRC of mine 
|
|
1
|
|
Gare-Palma-IV/1
|
|
Chhattisgarh
|
|
6.00
|
|
84.262
|
|
JINDAL POWER LIMITED/64849
|
|
4
|
|
25.00
|
|
652.10
|
|
2-3
|
|
Gotitoria 
|
|
Madhya Pradesh
|
|
0.30
|
|
7.452
|
|
BOULDER STONE MART PRIVATE LIMITED/154034
|
|
4
|
|
54.00
|
|
70.77
|
|
Gotitoria 
|
|
4
|
|
Urtan North
|
|
Madhya Pradesh
|
|
0.60
|
|
69.823
|
|
JMS MINING PRIVATE LIMITED/147074
|
|
4
|
|
9.50
|
|
84.64